The Collective Years
6: Charlie
PhDelicious

Disclaimer: All recognizable characters (such that they are in this little AU) belong to some people with much more money, power, and influence than me.

A/N: I wasn't going to do this again so soon but my interior monologue just wouldn't shut the hell up! Never mind that huge proposal I have to work on in real life. Oh well…Actually I've had this since Thursday, but my comp.'s being nasty...so now I've jumped to another computer and you have your next chapter...

Jack

Life as a Special Forces operative was exhilarating, fascinating, and utterly exhausting. In the two years since he'd joined up Jack had made more short trips to more small countries than he'd ever suspected existed. He was getting tired of sand, swamp, and jungle. It was cool at first, but now it was just good to be home. Unless something went wrong he had six months without having to track down an evildoer, infiltrate a prison, or make an impossible shot.

It's good to be back. Though the place does smell a bit musty. I'm glad I bought this place.

Jack wandered through the small house he'd purchased just outside Edwards Air Force base with the pay raise that had come along with his move into Special Forces. This last assignment had been somewhat longer than his others. He'd been three months in the Persian Gulf tracking down a mix of cell leaders, government officials, and scientists. Some names had come with orders to turn, others to terminate.

Stop dwelling Jack. You're home now. You've got that temp job as a trainer starting next week to keep you occupied. Sam's at Stanford. It's going to be a good break.

After assuring himself that everything was still in working order Jack grabbed a beer from the six pack he'd bought on his way home from the base and flopped down on his couch. A cloud of dust flew up in response and he sneezed. Jack grinned to himself.

And now I'm turning into Daniel. I speak multiple languages, can curse it twice as many, and sitting down causes me to sneeze.

Jack clicked on the TV, flipped until he found a hockey game, and promptly fell asleep.

oOo

A loud pounding noise woke Jack.

Wha…oh right…home. So that noise was…the front door.

Jack glanced at the clock on his cable box.

Oops didn't mean to sleep so long. Nobody even knows that I'm home yet. Who on earth is knocking on my door at 8 pm on a …Tuesday?

"I'm coming. I'm coming. Geez."

Jack propelled himself from the sofa and towards the door. He unlocked the dead bolt and pulled the door open in annoyance.

"Can I help….what the…"

Jack was shocked to see the woman on his doorstep.

"Sarah?"

She'd aged in the past six years. The preppy, fashionable, young woman he'd known was now a harried, sickly looking shadow of her former self.

"What's going on?"

"We need to talk Jack. We've needed to talk for six years, but your friends never let me near you and you've been damn hard to track down since you joined up."

Jack stepped back from the door and gestured for Sarah to enter.

"Come on in I suppose."

"Actually could you help me with something first?"

Sarah started back to her car, pausing to look a Jack over her shoulder.

Alll riiight….

Jack stepped out into the sultry night air. August in California was almost as bad as the Gulf. As he got nearer to the car Jack noticed the small body in the back seat.

"He's asleep right now, but I can't just leave him out here in the car. I don't want to wake him up, but he's gotten too big for me to carry…"

"I suppose we can put him in the guest room."

Jack stepped up alongside the car and looked at the boy inside. He was young, but large enough to be out of a car seat. His hair was a sun streaked brown and on the unruly side. Jack was starting to get nervous.

I didn't know Sarah had a kid. He's pretty big. He's got to be more than a couple years old. I wonder who's his…

Jack reached across the sleeping boy and unbuckled him, crouching down he awkwardly shifted the youngster into his arms. He rose and walked back into the house leaving Sarah to shut the car and house doors behind him. Jack moved straight through the main room down a short hallway to his small guest room. Shrugging the boy onto his hip Jack used his freed hand to turn down the covers. He laid the child down gently and then smoothed the covers back over him. He left the door ajar as he returned to the main room. Sarah was standing nervously at the end of the hall. Jack grabbed his beer off the coffee table and returned to his spot on the couch.

"So…"

Sarah twisted her hands together nervously.

"His name's Charlie. His sixth birthday was yesterday."

"He looks like a good kid Sarah. I'm sure you've done a good job with him, but is this what you wanted to talk about?"

"I wanted to...He's yours Jack."

"What!...Are you sure?"

"He was born in August, days before I should have started my senior year Jack. You know I never cheated on you and I didn't sleep with anyone else right after you broke it off because I was trying to get you back. By the time I realized that wasn't going to happen I knew. So yes, I'm sure."

"Shit!"

"I've been doing this myself for the past six years Jack. I can't do it anymore. I never got to finish school. My job sucks. We're barely surviving. I just…can't…"

She slumped back against the wall and sank to her knees.

"I never wanted kids, but I couldn't just…get rid of him…and I can't just give him up to strangers. Not when I know his father is a good man with a decent job."

"Shit… Sarah… I can't take him. I'm Special Forces. They could ship me out any moment for some godforsaken part of the earth for as long as they want. There's noone I could leave him with. If it's money I'll pay child support, but Sarah I can't take him."

"Yes you can Jack. You have to. I've had him for the past six years. It's your turn. His clothes are in that bag. You shouldn't need much else."

Jack looked to the front door and noticed the large duffle there for the first time.

"Damn it Sarah what am I supposed to do with him? I don't know how to take care of a kid long term."

"You'll figure it out. I did. Besides school will be starting again soon… He should be in first grade. You'll do fine Jack. Good bye."

Sarah turned her back on Charlie and Jack and headed for the door. Jack was out of the couch and on her before she made it. He grabbed her elbow as she reached for the door knob.

"You're serious about this?"

Sarah merely glared at him.

"You're not even going to say goodbye to him."

He didn't make it a question.

"It would only make things harder for both of us. Have a good life Jack."

Sarah tugged and he let her go.

"Sarah…"

The door shut firmly behind her echoing through the small house. Jack just stood there staring at it until the sounds of her car peeling out of his drive faded away. A small movement caught his eye and he turned. Charlie stood just beyond the couch, eyes wide and tearful.

"Mommy?"

Jack walked slowly towards the frightened child.

"I'm sorry kiddo. Mommy left."

Charlie's shoulders slumped and tears started to stream down his cheeks.

"Come on. Let's get you back into bed. You need your sleep. We'll work everything out in the morning."

Mutely Charlie nodded and held his arms up. Jack sighed and picked him up.

He's got my eyes…Oh you must be crazy O'Neill! You can't seriously be considering…What? Turning him out? Putting him in the system? Give me a break!

Jack patted Charlie gently on the back and hugged him tight.

"We're going to be all right. Everything's going to work out just fine."

Jack settled Charlie back into bed, tucking the sheets around him once more. As he stood back up he placed a gentle kiss on Charlie's forehead.

"Bathroom's right across the hall and I'm the next room over okay. Now get some sleep. 'Night."

Jack backed out of the room slowly waiting for any sign that Charlie was going to break down. As a precaution he once again left the door cracked and the hall light onas he headed back to the main room.

Shit! Shit! Shit! I need serious help here.

Jack walked over and grabbed the phone from atop the TV. He dialed from memory and waited anxiously for someone to pick up.

"Mom?"

oOo

For as inauspicious their first meeting had been, things with Charlie and Jack were going great. Jack's mom had been able to calm him down that first night and give him some tips. She'd even managed to squeeze in a quick trip to make sure they had gotten well setup. Ever since their first conversation that next morning Jack and Charlie had gotten along well.

How did I end up with such a great kid? He's making this so easy. It's not like I've ever had to deal with kids before. I know it won't last for ever but this is a good way to start.

Charlie had been energetic and enthusiastic about all the changes that had come his way. He was fitting in great at school, making new friends. The twosome had slowly, but easily fallen into a new routine. Jack would wake Charlie, pack his lunch while the boy ate breakfast, drive Charlie to school and then head to work. In the afternoons Jack would pick Charlie up from school and they'd go play at the park or fish or whatever struck their fancy. It was great, but in the back of Jack's mind there was always a little timer counting down to the end of his respite. So far there'd been no break down regarding Sarah's abandonment.

I can't believe he's taking this so well. Maybe too well. Maybe I should make him talk to someone about it. Yeah, that'd work. Kid inherited a stubborn streak a mile wide. He's not talking until he wants to talk. I bet he'd talk to Samantha. Everyone talks to Samantha, except me.

He had yet to tell Sam about Charlie. He wanted to do it in person and he'd tried to set things up but every time they got close something came up. Sam had been out of town for a conference and then Charlie got sick. It had been a 24 hour bug he'd picked up during his first week of school. By the next weekend Jack had picked up something else. Now Jack had begun to convince himself that all these things kept coming up for a reason.

God I miss her. I wish I could share this with her.

But it seemed fate was conspiring against them. Well maybe not both of them, but definitely against Jack. It was late on the fourth Sunday evening since Jack had been home when his cell phone rang.

"O'Neill"

"Lieutenant Colonel you're being recalled. Your flight leaves in 12 hours. You'll be briefed on the way."

Shit! Shit! Twelve hours isn't much time. What am I going to do with Charlie?

"Uh, Sir…there's a problem Sir."

"Jack, Kawalski's been captured. You're our best option for the retrieval. Your ass had better be on that plane."

"There's a slight complication Sir."

"O'Neill…"

"Sir, it's just that I've recently found out that I've got a kid and his mother dropped him on my doorstep and disappeared. I need some time to get someone to watch him, Sir."

There was a huff from the other end of the line.

"Fine. There's a second plane leaving tomorrow at 20:00. That gives you almost 24 hours. Consider yourself demoted if you don't make that flight."

"Sir, yes Sir!"

There's still no way Mom can get here in time. I don't just want to ship him off again. Nobody on base knows about him. Shit!

Jack stood from his couch and began to pace his family room. Charlie had already been put to bed, as the next day should have been a school day.

How am I going to explain this to him? He's going to think I'm abandoning him too. Shit!

oOo

The next morning Jack woke Charlie early. He grabbed Charlie's duffle from the hall closet along with his own.

"Charlie, go pack some clothes and anything else you want to take with you for a few days of vacation."

"But Dad, school just started. Where we goin?"

"I have to go away for work. You're going to go stay with Samantha. Remember I told you about her."

"She's the really smart girl you broke up with Mommy for. Mommy didn't like to talk about her."

"Yes, well…I suppose there's a good reason for that, but Samantha's a very nice person. You're going to like her a lot."

"Dad why do you have to go?"

"One of my friends is in trouble. I have to go save him."

"From the bad guys?"

"That's right buddy."

"But why do you have to go?"

"Because I'm the best and I would never forgive myself if he got hurt really bad and I could've stopped it. I'll only be gone for a few weeks. I'll be back as soon as I can I promise."

"Okay. I love you Daddy."

His mind made up Charlie picked up his duffle bag and headed for his room.

oOo

Sam

Sam was walking back to her office from a long, mentally exhausting meeting with her advisor. The beginning of classes this week marked the beginning of her third year in graduate school at Stanford and she had a big presentation for her thesis committee coming up in a few weeks.

I think Pat's more nervous about this than I am. You'd think he'd be used to this. It's not like I'm his first student…

"Hey Carter, there's a kid in your office."

Rodney McKay, one of her lab mates and the resident of the office next to her, called out as she passed by.

A kid? Classes have only been going a week. I'm not even TAing this semester. There's no reason for one of the undergrads to be stalking me. Pat would've said something if he was assigning me an undergrad researcher. Mckay would've said if it was Geoff or Kim. They worked here all last year, surely even someone as self-absorbed as him would be able to identify them.

Sam rounded the corner and walked through the lab to her office in the back. She was surprised to see the bright yellow duffle and matching backpack on the floor. She still couldn't see anyone in the small room.

Oh…he meant an actual child.

The small child was almost completely hidden in the large office chair she'd managed to snag. In fact the only thing she could see from the door of her office was a pair of stubby legs since her chair had been moved to face the window putting its back the door.

"Hello?"

The feet pushed off the wall in front of them to turn the chair around. The young boy, she was pretty sure it was a boy, was looking down at his hands in his lap.

"Hi."

He glanced up through a shaggy mop of curling brown hair and his eyes were a soft golden brown.

Wow! He looks like Jack did in those old photos that are up all over the O'Neill's. That's weird.

"I'm Sam. What's your name?"

"Charlie O'Neill."

Oh shit! What is going on here? This is a shitty joke, Jack. Please tell me he's related to a different O'Neill.

"Hi Charlie. What are you doing here?"

"My Dad had to go on a trip for work. He said you'd watch me until Grandma could come get me."

"Your Dad huh? What's he do?"

"He flies planes and fights bad guys."

Oh Shit! That's got to be Jack. Damn it Jack! What's going on here?

"Dad said to give this to you. He wanted to wait, but he had to go catch a plane. … How do you catch a plane?"

Charlie handed Sam an envelope that had been sitting on her desk. Her name was written across the front in Jack's scrawling handwriting. Sam found herself surprisingly short of breath.

"Sam…how do you catch a plane? They're really big."

Sam answered him distractedly, "It's just something people say. It means that they have to get to the plane before it takes off."

"Oh. Can I get up now? Dad said I wasn't 'lowed to move til you said so."

"Umm…let's go…"

Sam held out her free hand to Charlie. She led him out of her office and down the hall to another. She knew her friend Allison volunteered with kids a lot and her lab had a parakeet in their office.

Hopefully that'll keep him occupied while I deal with this.

"Hey Allison…This is Charlie. Could you watch him for a little bit? I have something I have to do. I thought he'd like the bird."

"No problem Sam."

"Thanks…all right Charlie. You hang out here with Allison for a little bit. I'm going to go read this letter. I'll be back soon. Okay?"

"Kay."

Charlie wandered over to the bird cage and started chatting at it. Sam smiled her thanks at Allison and walked out into the hallway and then out of the building. This wasn't something she thought she could handle inside despite the stifling midday heat. Instead she collapsed under a nearby tree fighting the urge to cry.

And I haven't even opened the damn letter yet. Better get it over with…

Sam tore off a corner of the envelope and slit the top open with her finger. Inside was a single sheet of paper filled with Jack's familiar writing.

Samantha,
By now you've met my son Charlie. I wanted to introduce you in person, but now that's not possible. I can only guess what you're thinking right now, but I swear I never cheated on you.

Jack…how could you think I'd believe that you would?

Somehow Sarah knew when I was getting home. She ambushed me my first night back and left him with me. He's a good kid. I'm sure he won't give you any trouble. Mom's flying out to watch him, but she couldn't get a flight until tomorrow. I'm sorry to drop Charlie on you and run, but I couldn't think of anyone else to watch him until then.

I suppose I should call Mrs. O'Neill later.

I'm so sorry about this. I can't even begin to tell you how much. I would have done this right, but Kawalski got himself captured. It sounds like I should only be gone a few weeks. I'll make this up to you when I get back. I promise. I love you.
Always,
Jack

Now Sam was crying, for Charlie, for Jack, for herself.

Oh God Jack. You should've told me. I would've helped. Please come home soon.

Sam leaned her head back against the tree and stared blankly up into its leafy canopy. She swiped absently at the tears silently rolling down her cheeks. When the tears had stopped falling she went back inside to collect Charlie. She checked her watch as she reentered the building. It was almost 2 pm and she hadn't eaten lunch yet.

"Hey Charlie, you hungry?" Sam asked as she walked him out of Allison's office. "I haven't had lunch yet."

"Me Either. Can I get a burger? And fries? And a chocolate milkshake?"

Sam smiled at Charlie's enthusiasm.

"Sure buddy."

Okay Samantha, breath. You'll be fine as long as he's not allergic cats. Mrs O'Neill will be here soon.

"Let's go then."

Sam bent down and gave Charlie a quick hug before turning and leading him out of the building.

oOo

Sam had had Charlie to herself for almost two whole days before Mrs. O'Neill had managed to get out to the west coast. Sam had taken the rest of the week off and driven back down to Jack's place with them. She'd stayed through the weekend, getting to know Charlie, before heading back to school. The following weekend they'd come back up to Standford to visit.Three weeks after meeting Charlie, Sam gave her presentation to her thesis committee. When they'd accepted her proposal she'd celebrated briefly with her friends and then promptly taken the rest of the week off and headed for Jack's.

Maybe Jack'll be home soon. He said a few weeks.

It was just about dinner time when Sam pulled into Jack's driveway. She walked around to the backdoor and let herself in, calling out in greeting. When she got no answer Sam set her bag down on the kitchen table and headed back into the main room.

The car was out front so they should be here. It's so quiet. Charlie always makes more noise than this unless he's sleeping...

But there was noone in the guest room that currently belonged to the little boy.

Jack's room?

Sam moved down the hallway and gently nudged open the door to Jack's room. Mrs O'Neill was lying on top of the covers, curled in the fetal position around one of Jack's pillows. As Sam approached she could see that the woman had been crying.

NO! No! Please God...

Sam's legs gave out and she collapsed on the bed next to Mrs O'Neill.

"Mom?"

Her voice wavered as she brushed a hand lightly over the other woman's shoulder. She stirred slightly at the touch; the eyes blinking open to gaze at Sam a perfect match for Jack's and Charlie's. A hand moved to cover Sam's.

"He's missing. He got his friend out, but they haven't heard from Jack in two weeks. I'm so scared Sam. He would've found a way to contact them, to contact us..."

"Charlie?"

"He's going to stay at Grace's tonight. I couldn't tell him by myself. I can barely understand myself..."

Sam pulled the other woman to a seated position and hugged her tight. Soon they were both crying. By the time the tears were done they were both too exhausted to move far. Sam fell back onto the bed while Mrs O'Neill leaned against the headboard.

"He has to be okay...I don't know what to do without him...he...I..."

A hand brushed Sam's hair back from her face. She turned into the caress and shifted so that she was pressed against Jack's mom, seeking comfort like any child.

"I know baby...I know..."

A/N 2: I'm not really sure how to classify this chapter. I suppose that was rather an evil place to end, oh well. Let me know what you think and it may help motivate the muse so you get the next bit faster.